Peter h



UNITED ST r orrion.

SHIPS WINCH.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 13,393, dated August '7, 1855; Ressued. February 19, 1861, No. 1,141.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, PETER H. JACKSON, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented, made, and applied to use a new and useful Improvement in Double- Acting Tinchesg and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawing, making part of this specication, wherein e Figure 1, is an end view of a winch head as fitted wit-h my improvements and Fig. 2, is a side elevation of the same.

Similar letters indicate the same parts.

The nature of my said invention consists in so applying a pawl beneath a ratchet wheel that it can be thrown under its center and work into the ratchet wheel when rotated in either direction; the same being combined with a handspike socket and plate carrying a double acting pawl, which can be worked on either side of the said ratchet wheel, and the same, together with the shaftor winch head to which the said ratchet wheel is attached, be rotated in either direction; thereby I am enabled to obtain a double acting winch or ratchet power by the use of only one ratchet wheel, whereas almost if not all other double acting ratchet purchases or Winches have recourse to two ratchet wheels to produce the rotation in either direction. And my double acting motion is most especially adapted to Winches, windlasses and similar nautical machines, because being placed nextl the bit or stanchion carrying the same, is entirely out of the way in winding up, or casting off a rope or chain from t-he said winch or windlass head.

A, is a bit or timber carrying either a fixed or rotating shaft 1, onto which a winch head B, is shown as attached by a pin and washer 2, through t-he point of the shaft.

3, is a ratchet wheel either attached to the shaft lor formed with the winch or other head, but here shown as formed with the winch head. 4, is a pawl on a center pin 5, that is attached to the timber carrying the shaft 1, or to any other suitable support, and

said pawl 4, is extended below the center and formed as a counter weight 6, of suficient size always to keep the pawl 4, against the ratchet teeth 3. The counter weight is shorter from the center 5, than the point of the Ipawl 4, sufliciently so that said pawl can be depressed and turned around beneath the center 5, without the counter weight coming in contact with the teeth 3, as seen by dotted lines in Fig. 1. Thus the pawl is thrown under instead of over as is usually the case and the counter weight always acts to keep said 'pawl to the ratchet teeth, whichever way the ratchet wheel is rotated. In order to attach the plate 7 carrying the handspike socket b, by means of which the said double acting ratchet wheel is rotated in either direction, I make use of a hub or collar around the shaft, see dotted lines, (at 8) over which a hole in the plate 7, sets, so as to turn on said hub or collar, and the plate 7 should be strengthened by ribs and made in the form shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, in order to prevent any side motion or shaking to the handspike socket. This plate 7 is formed with a box 9, on one side extending over the ratchet teeth 3, 3, and tted with a cover plate 13, attached by screws or other convenient means and extending partly down on the outer side of the ratchet teeth 3, toward the winch head B. IVithin this box a center pin 12, carries a double acting pawl a, which pawl has ample room to turn around on its center pin 12 within the box 9, until it takes the teeth 3.

The operation of this apparatus is that when the handspike (6,) is depressed the ratchet wheel 3, will also be moved with it in the direction shown by the arrow, and the pawl 4, will retain the motion thus given; and on raising the handspike the point 10, of the pawl cz, will ride over teeth 8, and then drop thereinto ready for again being depressed, the point 11, acting as a counterpoise to keep the point 10, into the teeth; but if the handspike and socket be turned over onto the other side of the ratchet wheel, the pawl a, will fall over backward in consequence of the center of motion (12) passing beneath the center of gravity of the pawl by the change of posi tion of the handspike socket, when the point 11, will take the teeth 3, to rotate the same in the opposite direction and the point 10, (of the pawl) acts as a counterpoise to keep the point 11, to the teeth 3. The pawl 4, has to be thrown under as before detailed and the ratchet wheel (3) is ready to be rotated in the other direction.

I do not claim a pawl or pawls acting on their ratchet wheels, on either side of the center carrying the same, neither do I claim applying a pawl, handspike socket and retaining pawl to a ratchet wheel as this has been done, but only for rotating the said ratchet wheel in one direction, and I am aware that pawls with counterpoise weights to make them act upward instead of downward are well known. I am also well aware that winches and windlasses have been fitted by means of external ratchets and hooks and internal ratchets and pawls applied at the outer end of the head, so that the same can be rotated in either direction thereforeV I make no claim to rotating Winches or windlasses in either direction as this is well known and in common use; and it will be evident that my arrangement of ratchets and pawls has import-ant advantages over such arrangements because there is nothing to prevent a rope being easily wound around the winch or cast off, whereas, in cases where the handspike is applied at the outer end of the winch or windlass head the same has often to be pulled out to allow the rope to be taken off, but in mine that is not the case; and besides this there is more strain on the shaft carrying the parts when the handspike is applied at the end thereof, than when it acts close up to the bit or timber carrying said shaft. I am not aware that a double acting pawl has ever before been applied beneath a ratchet wheel, and fitted with the counterpoise weight to make the saine act upward and also allow for turning said pawl under to change sides, when said pawl is combined with a double acting pawl set on, and moving with a handspike and socket (or'lever) and applied to the upper part of said ratchet wheel in such a manner as to rot-ate the same in either direction; thereby producing a double acting purchase with only one ratchet wheel and obtaining the advantages specified, therefore Vhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 'Ihe reversible or double acting pawl 4, below the ratchet wheel, in combination with the double acting pawl a, to which power is applied to rotate said ratchet wheel in either direction, in the manner and as specified.

In witness whereo-f I have hereunto set my signature this eighteenth day of July PETER II. JACKSON. Witnesses LEMUEI. W. SERRELL, GEO. W. REID.

[FIRST PRINTED 1912.] 

